Monday, 28 November 2011

With both Bill Wyman and the Blues Band playing locally in short order this week, it was always going to be a tough ask to fit enough music into 118 minutes of live radio. Neither set out to be compared with the innovative originals.- those guys really know their stuff and celebrate the classic era of blues.

We didn't forget it would have been Jim Hendrix' birthday, we left it to our resident rock god to do the honours for us. Our birthday book was open at the pages for John Mayall, Robert Nighthawk and Brownie McGhee instead. Mayall is still active and his steadfastness has put a backbone into British blues; we went to the Crusade album with Mick Taylor last night (this project is often overshadowed by the pair of albums it followed). Brownie McGhee's career was inextricably linked with Sonny Terry even if their on-off friendship was rarely on. He was a tidy player with a warm inviting vocal style which contrasted with the raw country blues stylings of harp maestro Terry.

Robert Lee McCollum recorded as Robert Nighthawk and was a contemporary of Robert Johnson - Nighthawk survived the war and is a glimpse of how Johnson could have made the transition to electric blues. Nighthawk was influential to Elmore James, BB King and many others - he married one of Ike Turner's girlfriends and almost immediately recorded "Sweet Black Angel" a hit for Chess in 1948. It has a magnificent guitar line and is a model for blues as a celebration. His birthday was our 1001 Blues.

The two gospel tunes had Paul Jones and Rev. Blind Gary Davis and it don't get much better than Otis Spann or Leroy Carr on piano. With a further range of blues that included BigWalter Horton and Big Lucky Carter and Big Al Downing you'd think we were exclusively sizeist. Lee Shot Williams died last week and Jimmy Nelson died earlier in the month and the songs we used to mark their passings showed how much they're missed already. Can't believe Jimmy Norman didn't record more often.

The search for the Listener Blues Artist 2011 was officially launched yesterday - last year it was Robert Plant, its all up to you. The restriction is that it must be someone we've played on the show this year. Email, phone, Facebook or old fashioned letter will get your vote in, look forward to hearing from you.

All being well the whole shebang will be back on Sunday at 10pm (GMT), I'll be there if you will. Until then take care of yourselves and take care of those that take care of you

Monday, 21 November 2011

Our birthday book was full last night with mentions for Mike Vernon, Duane Allman, Travis Haddix and three giants of the keys: Dr. John, Lloyd Glenn and Eddie Boyd. Producer Mike Vernon wove his magic for Jay Owens, TS McPhee and Eddie Boyd in three very different hues.

The Kent label has just issued a three disc survey of the goings on at the FAME studios and we did include that overdue performance by Aretha Franklin as well as a speaker scorching rendition of Hey Jude by Wilson Pickett. Guitar duties were handled by Duane Allman and in the latter case probably the only man capable of going toe to toe with the Wicked Pickett at that time.

At the other end of the guitar spectrum we had Johnny Moore, elegant and economical, with his wife on vocals: a gloriously polished performance of a song recorded for Modern but not issued at the time. The same fate befell Lloyd Glenn for his only session as band-leader for Chess in 1960 - and that was with Lowell Fulson on guitar!

Sharon Jones won't qualify as a blues artist anytime soon but her retro approach to soul will always find favour with a blues crowd. She will be a massive star and we are pleased to be playing her stuff from the outset. Same goes for the wonder-trio of Homemade Jamz band with a combined age not yet 40. Hobo Man is a self penned number and is a confident piece played and produced like it should be.

I'm game for some more next Sunday at 10pm - thanks for your kind invitation last night - until then take care of yourselves and take care of those that take care of you

Monday, 7 November 2011

They did try to warn me, I didn't listen. The political correctness police got wind of Bullmoose Jackson being on last night's STAR BLUES. They in turn triggered a stern warning from those jolly nice efficient chaps that do Health and Safety for us. Their concern was about the overnight team and how they would cope with the expected flood of complaint calls, texts and emails.Not enough First aiders to minister to those of a nervous disposition apparently.

As it turned out I think I got away with it and none of the H&S clipboards exploded because Mr. Jackson's observation that "Big Fat Mama's Are Back in Style" shocked no-one in our audience who all knew they've never been out of favour. Other sizes and shapes are available and just as stylish.

We had a unique opportunity to squeeze our large frame of music into a size zero show with an unexpectedly generous amount of needle time too. Good job we had a clutch of new projects from Catfish Keith, Hans Theesink, Drink Small, Mighty Mo Rodgers and Fiona Boyes - with a retrospective of Barbara Lynn's 60's singles, another rarity from Jo Ann Kelly and a reissue with bonus tracks of Etta James; 'Losers Weepers'. There was time to play A and B sides from Barbara and Etta, with Ms. James making it as far as 'You Me and 1001 Blues'. Her candid autobiography 'Rage to Survive' tells how these LA sessions should have led to a renewed period of success for her and how her good fortune actually pushed her further to addiction.

Hans Theesink's been asked to score a new German film based on the 1911 British play 'Everyman'. This thought provoking disc isn't easy listening and it mixes in much more than blues to a tale of judgement and redemption. He starts the album with a version of Tom Waits' 'Down in the Hole' prerviouslyheard in several different versions as theme to "The Wire". His sublime voice understates the message but hits the mark. Our gospel spot looks ahead to Remembrance Day this Friday and notes how hard it is to buy a poppy - even if we don't believe I think its important we shouldn't forget and to show that our thoughts and prayers are with our young men and women we've sent to difficult and dangerous places to do difficult and dangerous things. Robert Ward's 'Comfort Table' put it better than me.

Hans does a version of Memphis Slim's 'Mother Earth' so I put the original into the show as the piano feature. Slim's 'Nobody Loves Me' became 'Everyday I have The Blues' for B B King in November 1964 for his Live at the Regal classic album. he closed our show. Until we can get together again take care of yourselves and take care of those that take care of you.